Alex C. Ruffing (November 2, 1892 – September 6, 1958) was an American

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

and Socialist from Milwaukee who served four terms (1919–1926) as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and one shortened term in Wisconsin State Senate representing

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

-based districts

Background

Ruffing was born in Milwaukee on November 2, 1892. He was educated in the public and parochial schools and learned the machinist trade at the Allis Chalmers plant.

Legislative career

He had never entered electoral politics before a 1916 run for the Assembly from the 7th Milwaukee County district (7th and 10th

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

of the City of Milwaukee), which he lost to Republican

Bernhard Gettelman Bernhard "Benny" Gettelman (December 23, 1889August 30, 1965) was an American Republican politician. He served 27 years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Milwaukee, and earlier served one term in the State Assembly. Biography Gettel ...

by 85 votes. In 1918 Ruffing was elected to the same Assembly seat at the age of 26 years and three days, receiving 2,959 votes to 1,410 for Republican Tony Rausch (Gettelman had become chief

deputy sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Milwaukee County). He became the youngest member of the fifty-fourth session of the legislature, and was assigned to the standing committee on public welfare. He continued to work at the factory between sessions at first, but from 1923 to 1928 worked as an

annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

solicitor for the City of Milwaukee. He was re-elected in 1920 and 1922 without opposition, switching to the Committees on the Judiciary and then

Finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...

, and in 1924 won re-election by 2367 votes to 1622 for Henry A. Zaidina. In November 1926, Ruffing was elected to the State Senate to fill out the unexpired term of fellow Socialist Joseph Padway (who had resigned to serve as

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Milwaukee civil court), with 4297 votes for Ruffing to 3294 for Republican Otto Tetzloff. He was assigned to the joint committee on Finance, on which he'd served two terms while in the Assembly. He was appointed as a Milwaukee alderman by Socialist mayor

Dan Hoan Daniel Webster Hoan (March 12, 1881 – June 11, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 32nd Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1916 to 1940. A lawyer who had served as Milwaukee City Attorney from 1910 to 1916, Hoan was a promi ...

in 1928, and was succeeded in the Senate by fellow Socialist Thomas Duncan.

Post-legislature

Ruffing continued to serve as an alderman until defeated for re-election on April 4, 1944, by Republican State Representative Martin E. Schreiber. He was now a vice-chairman of the Wisconsin Socialist Party

central committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...

, and became the Socialist candidate for state senate against incumbent (and former Socialist) George Hampel, who ran without any party affiliation; with both of them losing in November to Democrat Edward W. Reuther. In 1946, he ran for his old seat in the Assembly, coming in third to Republican Clyde Follansbee and Democrat

John Schaller John Schaller (July 7, 1912 – 1978) was an American politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Schaller was born on July 7, 1912, in Augsburg, Germany. He moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1913. He died in 1978.'Socia ...

. In 1949, he returned to his old employment as an annexation solicitor under new Socialist mayor Frank P. Zeidler; and in June 1950 he was elected to succeed Zeidler as state

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Socialist Party. He died on September 6, 1958, in Milwaukee, a fact memorialized by an Assembly

joint resolution In the United States Congress, a joint resolution is a legislative measure that requires passage by the Senate and the House of Representatives and is presented to the President for their approval or disapproval. Generally, there is no legal differ ...

in 2005.''2005 Assembly JOINT RESOLUTION 5'' "Relating to: the life and public service of Alex C. Ruffing."
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffing, Alex C. 1892 births 1958 deaths Machinists Socialist Party of America politicians from Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin state senators Milwaukee Common Council members 20th-century American legislators 20th-century Wisconsin politicians